


Seventh Wheel

by Redjay27



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Flashbacks, Just a wee bit, Keith is being Keith, Lance is a prisoner, Langst, M/M, Takes place directly before the Blade of Marmora stuff, also should mention there's just a touch of violence, multiple POVs, send help, slight blood, what is life?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 13:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11418582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redjay27/pseuds/Redjay27
Summary: And Keith. Keith must’ve been devastated when Lance was taken. Lance didn’t want to picture the look on his face when Keith realized Lance was gone. He was the last person to talk to Lance after all. No doubt he’d be blaming himself. That’s just the kind of person Keith was. Lance had to admit that if the roles had been reversed he’d be feeling pretty guilty right now. But on second thought, Keith was probably skilled enough to not get caught like he did. Lance thought back to Keith’s desperate cries for him to retreat. Why didn’t he listen to him?“So stupid, Lance…” He said to himself. “So, so stupid…” He was quiet for a moment before saying something that shocked him. “I’m sorry, Keith…”





	Seventh Wheel

Everyday Lance woke up not believing how his life had turned out. If someone told him a year ago that he’d be a paladin of Voltron he would have brushed them off as crazy. Now, he got to spend his time flying through space, exploring the universe, saving people, and fighting Galra. Not only that, but he was the blue paladin which was like his favorite color of course. Lucky for him. He’d like to think that Blue made the smartest decision when choosing him as a pilot. He definitely had the most fun with his lion. She was just as free spirited as Lance was.

  
Of course it wasn’t like he was the team leader or anything. That spot was reserved for Shiro and that was a-okay with Lance. He hadn’t known Shiro personally for very long but he could tell that he was a natural born leader. Lance admired that about him in fact. Truth be told, he was glad that he had someone to follow. Lance had confidence about certain things but leading a team of five space cats to defeat the universe’s worst enemy? That was a little above his skill level.

  
Lance also admired Hunk as he had back at the garrison. He’d known Hunk for a long time and considered him one of his closest friends. Hunk always seemed to know how to pick up Lance’s spirits. He would drag Lance to the nearest kitchen and make him a batch of his famous chocolate chip cookies after a particularly bad day in the simulator or when Lance once again found his name on the bottom of the pilot’s list. Becoming a paladin hadn’t changed that. Many times Lance had sought solace with his best friend and although Hunk’s cookies were an impossibility out here, Hunk still made lots of treats for Lance to eat when he was feeling down. Hunk was also a brilliant mechanic and Lance had found himself asking Hunk more than once to check Blue for him because Hunk knew way more about the inner workings of a magical flying feline than he ever could.

  
Of course he could’ve also asked Pidge. Out of all of them Pidge had probably spent the most time trying to figure out exactly how the lions worked which didn’t surprise Lance in the least. The small green paladin had a mighty mind that could rival some of the brilliant tech experts they had come across. Lance had always treated Pidge as one of his younger siblings although they were far smarter than Lance. But Lance tried to look out for them the best he could. Without their tech expert, the team was at a massive disadvantage so Lance had decided to not let that happen.

  
And last but certainly not least was Keith, the red paladin. In terms of raw power and pure instinct Keith was the winner hands down. Lance, although reluctantly, had to admit that he was the best pilot of the team. He was able to fly through things that Lance could never dream of...like that asteroid field for example. His skill with a blade was also nothing to sneeze at. Lance would be lying to himself if he denied being a little jealous. Keith’s combat ability was something the team could rely on while Lance’s was spotty at best.

  
Lance tried not to dwell too much on the thought of everyone else having something important to contribute to the team aside from him. The other’s insisted that he was wrong and he wanted to believe them. But every time Pidge pulled a last minute solution off the top of their head or Keith dove in to finish off the bad guy, Lance felt the gap between him and the rest of the team growing wider. He had a feeling that soon he was just going to be dead weight. They would leave him behind.

  
Lance sighed and leaned his head back against the wall of the cell he was currently sitting in. He had a feeling he was going to be here for awhile. He hadn’t meant to be captured and was mostly glad that the Galra hadn’t managed to capture the blue lion as well. She was safe back at the castle. In all honesty, it had been his fault things had turned out this way…

\-----

“Lance you have Galra advancing on your six and nine!” He heard Keith yell through the comm. “Get out of there!”

  
Lance ignored Keith for the second time and pulled his bayard out, feeling the familiar weight of his blaster in his hands. The download was almost finished. He couldn’t leave now, not when they were this close to finding Pidge’s family. He couldn’t let them down.

  
“I’ve got this!” He said in response to Keith’s screaming in his ear.

  
“There’s too many of them! There’s no way you can take all of them down!” Keith’s voice had a frantic edge to it. Something Lance had never heard before.

  
“I’m not leaving!” Lance yelled back and readied himself behind some cover.

  
“Lance!”

  
“Come on...come on…” Lance said quietly to himself as he watched the download percentage go up slowly. “Ten more percent…” He heard the rumble of feet and took a deep breath. He couldn’t lose. Not this time.

  
The Galra rounded the corner and came at him from two sides.

  
“Hold on, Lance! I’m coming!” He heard Keith yell.

  
“No! Stay there! This only works if both of our downloads finish! I’ll be fine!” Lance responded while ducking behind his cover to avoid a few shots. He glanced at the monitor again. Two more percent to go. He could make it! He could do this!

  
The Galra advanced on his position and Lance ducked out, firing his blaster and taking out a few. One percent to go and then he could get out of here.

  
“Lance! More coming from the other side! Look out!” He heard Keith scream a second before he felt something press against the back of his head. Lance froze.

  
“Drop your weapon.” He heard a deep voice from behind him say and he did as he was told. His bayard fell from his hands and clattered to the ground. Lance slowly stood up and turned around coming face to face with the owner of the voice. He glanced at the monitor one last time to see that the download was complete. He just needed to hit the confirm button. That was it.

  
“Looks like we caught ourselves one of the paladins. It must be our lucky day.” The large Galra in front of Lance said, still aiming his blaster at Lance.

  
“Lance? Lance are you there?” He heard Keith call through the comm but Lance didn’t dare answer. He just needed to press that button. All he needed was a moment. “Lance? Answer me!”

  
Lance took a deep breath and stared directly into the Galra’s yellow eyes.

  
“Sorry, Keith.” He said. “It looks like you’re gonna have to finish this without me.” Lance moved as fast as he could, lunging for the monitor. He outstretched his arm and barely managed to hit the confirm button before he felt the force of something ramming into his gut. Lance fell to the ground and rolled a little, coughing up what looked like blood. That wasn’t good.

  
“Lance! Lance? Are you there?!”

  
“Seize him!” He heard the Galra command and before he knew it hands grabbed him and hauled him to his knees, ripping off his helmet and leaving Keith’s voice and his freedom behind.

\-----

He had been taken galaxies away from where he was captured, of that he was sure. The Galra had made sure to point that out to him time and time again. They had taken away his armor and he was now decked out in the latest Galra prisoner get-up. They had thrown him in a cell all by himself and had left him in the dark.

  
“What if” questions kept circling his brain as he sat alone. What if they had taken the lions instead of a pod? What if Keith had come to help him? What if he’d been more careful? What if he’d spent more time training for close combat? What if Keith had sacrificed himself instead of Lance? Lance found himself coming back to the same answers. They couldn’t have taken the lions because they didn’t have stealth capabilities like the pod and Pidge, Shrio, and Hunk were off at the other data sight. More importantly though, it was good that he was captured instead of Keith. The truth was that Keith was hard to replace whereas Lance? Not so much. Coran or Allura could just as easily pilot Blue. And it wasn’t like Lance had any special talents that the team would need to beat Zarkon. No, he was certain that it was best that he was the one to get captured.

  
Lance coughed and although he couldn’t see it, he could feel the blood on his hand. Internal bleeding. That certainly wasn’t good. If he didn’t get into a healing pod soon he was probably going to die.

  
“That’s a cheerful thought.” He muttered to himself just to hear something. “No point worrying about it now, though.” Lance sighed again and closed his eyes. What a terrible nightmare he’d gotten himself into.

\-----

“We have to go get him now!” Keith yelled as he arrived on the bridge of the castle still in full paladin armor. His mind was racing from everything that had just happened. One minute Lance was there and then he wasn’t…

\-----

As soon as Keith had hit the confirm button on the monitor he’d raced towards where Lance had been. Maybe he wasn’t too late. Maybe he could save him still. When Keith entered the room Lance was supposed to be in he found it deserted except for Lance’s bayard, helmet, and a spot of blood on the ground.

  
“Lance!” He heard himself call out, hoping that he had just crawled off somewhere to hide. “Lance! Where are you?”

  
There was no response and Keith fell to his knees. He was gone Who knows where he could be?

  
“I lost him...it’s all my fault…”

\-----

“Get who?” Shiro asked, turning from the console he was looking at. Keith didn’t answer but held up the blue bayard and helmet, a desperate look on his face.

  
“Please, it’s all my fault. We have to get him back…” Keith’s voice trailed off.

  
“What happened? Where’s Lance?” Shiro walked over to Keith and grabbed his shoulders.

  
Keith looked into Shiro’s eyes and found he could only repeat one sentence. “It’s all my fault.”

  
Shiro shook Keith a little but lowered his tone. “Keith, I know you’re worried about Lance but I promise you we’ll get him back. We will find him and rescue him. You have my word but first you have to tell me what happened.”

  
Keith took a deep breath to calm himself. “There were two data points so we had to split up. The data would only download if it was accessed from both counsels. I don’t know if it was a trap or if he triggered some sort of alarm but before we knew it Glara were surrounding the room he was in. I told him...I told him to get out of there but he refused. He…” Keith was glad that Shiro was still holding onto his shoulders or else he was sure his knees would’ve given out. He took another deep breath and continued. “He told me to finish the download...that he would be fine. I shouldn’t have listened. I should’ve gone to him...I should’ve-”

  
“You can’t help what happened, Keith. Both you and Lance made decisions in the moment and those won’t change. Focus on getting Lance back. That’s the important part.”

  
Keith nodded. Shiro was right. Lance was the only thing that mattered right now.

  
“He told me I’d have to finish the mission without him and then...he was gone. When I got there all I found was his bayard and helmet...and, Shiro, there was blood on the ground. Human blood.”

  
Shiro nodded and let go of Keith, turning to the rest of the group who had listened with quiet intensity. “As I’m sure all of you know, getting Lance back is our number one priority. He’s not only our team member but also our friend. First, we need to find out where he is. Any ideas?”

 

“What if we used that signal thing that Pidge made when we got separated?” Hunk suggested, a frantic tone in his voice.

  
“That wouldn’t work.” Pidge said while shaking their head. “That signal locked onto the lions and the blue lion is still here in the castle.”

  
“Do you think the blue lion can locate Lance?” Keith asked, looking at Allura and Coran. “I mean Zarkon was able to track the black lion across the universe.”

  
“I don’t think that’ll work either.” Allura said thoughtfully. “Although Lance’s bond is strong with the blue lion, it is made to be piloted by any one of the other paladins. It was designed to temporarily bond with another paladin in case the blue paladin wasn’t around or was injured.”

  
“What about the data recovered from the base?” Shiro suggested. “Could there be something there to help us? Destinations? Shipping manifests? Anything like that?”

  
“I’m not sure but I can take a look.” Pidge said, adjusting their glasses. “It’s going to take me a little while though to translate from Galra and find the relevant data.”

  
“Do it.” Shiro ordered. “Since we have no idea what kind of condition Lance is in we have to assume he’s injured...maybe even fatally so let’s work as quickly as possible.”

\-----

Lance wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It could have been hours or days. Every so often he’d have a coughing fit and each time it was accompanied by blood. He found that he would lapse in and out of consciousness in a fitful doze. The prisoner uniform he was wearing was itchy and clung a little too tightly to him, like it was one size too small. Occasionally he would hear rhythmic footsteps outside his cell and each time he held his breath, praying they wouldn’t stop.

  
He was terrified that he’d be taken to Zarkon. Now that Zarkon’s link with the black lion was severed he was probably searching for other ways to locate the castle and the lions. What if Zarkon could locate his friends through him? They’d never see it coming. Lance had no doubt that they could still form Voltron with the help of Coran or Allura but they would be outmatched. What if one of them was killed because of Lance?

  
Not that that would matter much in a little while. Lance wasn’t going to lie to himself. He was dying. Every time a new coughing fit hit him he felt weaker. He found it more difficult to stay awake and moving made it feel like someone had shoved a white hot iron through him.

  
He could feel his life draining slowly and if Lance was being perfectly honest, he was terrified. He didn’t want to die. Not yet. He’d never get to see Earth again or his family. He’d never wake up to the smell of his mom’s breakfast or be able to play soccer outside with his younger siblings. He’d never see his friends again. Never get to taste Hunk’s cookies again or tease Pidge about their height.

  
And Keith. Keith must’ve been devastated when Lance was taken. Lance didn’t want to picture the look on his face when Keith realized Lance was gone. He was the last person to talk to Lance after all. No doubt he’d be blaming himself. That’s just the kind of person Keith was. Lance had to admit that if the roles had been reversed he’d be feeling pretty guilty right now. But on second thought, Keith was probably skilled enough to not get caught like he did. Lance thought back to Keith’s desperate cries for him to retreat. Why didn’t he listen to him?

 

“So stupid, Lance…” He said to himself. “So, so stupid…” He was quiet for a moment before saying something that shocked him. “I’m sorry, Keith…”

  
Why was he apologizing to Keith? That wasn’t like him. He hated Keith and Keith hated him. Or at least he thought so. But the more he thought about Keith the more he realized that he didn’t hate him. Sure, he was jealous of him and maybe even a little intimidated by his intensity sometimes, but he didn’t hate him. Not by a long shot. He could rely on Keith. Keith, although a little impulsive, was firm. He was someone that Lance could count on in a hairy situation. And if Lance was going to be honest with himself, he missed Keith the most. He could live his last moments without seeing his home or his family or his friends but without seeing Keith again? That seemed unbearable to Lance. He had to see him again...if only just for a moment.

  
With a renewed determination, Lance forced his eyes open. He was going to stay awake, if not for himself, for Keith.

\-----

“Ya know, watching me analyze data won’t bring him back any faster.” Pidge said in a soft voice from where they were seated in front of a monitor. Keith was leaning on the far wall of the room. He had yet to change out of his armor and he didn’t intend to. He knew that Lance could be bleeding out somewhere or possibly dead. He wasn’t about to waste time with things like changing.

  
Keith sighed, “I know. It just makes me feel better. Pidge, he was right there and then he wasn’t...I just keep thinking that it should’ve been me. He must be so scared right now…”

  
“Lance is braver than he looks.” Pidge said, looking up from the data. “He might be the biggest goof that I know and an insufferable flirt but he’s always been so confidant about everything. He has a way of making even the toughest situations seem manageable.”

  
“Heh, I know what you mean.” Keith replied, a small smile appearing on his face despite the circumstances.

  
“Which is why I really wish he were here right now.” Pidge said, a strain to their voice. “Then he could tell that the answer for sure is in this data and that I’m not just wasting time while he might be dying…” A few stray tears stained their cheek.

  
Keith pushed himself off the wall and went to Pidge. “Hey, look at me.” He said, putting his hands on Pidge’s shoulders and turning the chair so it was facing Keith. “There is no one better suited to finding him right now than you. Just like there is no other person better suited to listening to their gut than me. And do you know what my gut is saying?”

  
“What?” Pidge asked, wiping their eyes.

  
“It’s saying the answer is in that data. Trust that Lance isn’t gonna die. That he’ll keep fighting and trust in my gut, okay?”

  
“Okay.” Pidge said with a nod, putting a determined look on their face. “Let’s find Lance.”

\-----

“We’ve got it!” Pidge shouted as they entered the bridge some time later.

  
Shiro stood up from where he was seated. “Where?”

  
“It took some time but eventually I found a log that mentions a prisoner ship scheduled to leave the facility shortly after Lance was taken. I'd bet anything that Lance was on that ship. I have the coordinates for where it was headed.”

  
“Coran, put it on screen.” Shiro said.

  
“Just a moment…” Coran said and tapped a few buttons on his console.

  
The screen changed to what looked like a dwarf planet with Galra styled buildings on it. “What is it?” Keith asked turning to Allura.

  
“I think it’s a Galra prison. Probably a maximum security one if I had to take a guess. If they were holding Lance somewhere it would be there.” She responded.

  
“Then let’s go get him!” Keith said, turning to Shiro.

  
“First we need a plan. If we go in blindly we could get Lance killed. That place is huge and probably heavily guarded. We don’t even know where he is in there.” Shiro responded.

  
“If I may, I have an idea how to find out.” Hunk said from his chair. “But we’re gonna need the blue lion.”

\-----

The coughing fits were coming more frequently now and Lance was finding it harder to breathe. There was a constant taste of blood in his mouth and staying awake was becoming difficult. He didn’t have much time left and he knew it. He cycled through pictures in his mind of his family and friends. Keith’s would pop up more than anyone else. All he wanted was to see Keith.

  
He was pulled from his thoughts by voices just outside his cell.

  
“Shouldn’t we inform Lord Zarkon that we’ve captured one of the paladins?” A voice said.

  
“No.” Replied a deeper voice. “He’s not going to last much longer. I’m surprised that he’s held on this long. Once he’s dead we’ll tell Lord Zarkon.”

  
“If that’s the case why don’t we just kill him ourselves?” The first voice asked and Lance felt his pulse speed up.

  
“Fool!” The deep voice said sharply. “If he’s alive the other paladins will no doubt try to rescue him. Then we can get all five and maybe even a lion or two. We could get transferred back to the main fleet for something like that.”

  
The voices kept talking but faded away as the owners moved away from Lance’s cell. There was no way the team would find him before he died and Lance knew it. Well, at least he didn’t have to worry about that anymore. He figured he wouldn’t be worrying about much else in a little while.

  
He turned his thoughts back to Keith. He would give anything to tell him how sorry he was. Not only sorry that he had sacrificed himself, leaving Keith alone on a Galra base, but sorry for everything. Sorry for being so competitive with him, sorry for making fun of his stupid mullet and blaming everything on him.

  
“It’s a little late for “sorry”, don’t ya think?” Keith’s voice said from the darkness.

  
Lance jerked his head up, eyes searching the darkness for movement. “Keith?”

  
“Who else?” Came the reply but Lance still couldn’t see anyone.

  
“What’re you doing here?” Lance asked, confused.

  
“Well, I was here to rescue you.” Keith’s voice was harsh.

  
“Rescue me?”

  
“That’s right but now I’ve changed my mind.”

  
“What...why?”

 

“Do you have any idea what you sacrificing yourself did to me? How could I not have blamed myself? You made me worry about a nobody.” Keith’s voice was rising in anger and disgust.

  
“What do you mean “a nobody”? I’m your teammate!” Lance said before he was hit by another coughing fit.

  
“Hell of a teammate you are. A teammate is supposed to contribute to the team. What do you bring to the table, huh? Nothing. Everyone is needed except for you. In fact, we’d be better off without you. You’re nothing but a burden.” Keith’s voice was filled with venom.

  
“Stop it!” Lance said and covered his ears with his hands. “You don’t mean that!”

  
“Don't lie to yourself. You know everyone’s thinking it.” Lance could still hear Keith’s voice clearly despite his attempts to block him out.

  
“Please…” Lance begged, tears flowing from his eyes. “Please stop…”

  
“Look at you. Look at how pathetic you are. Couldn’t even defeat a few Galra without being captured. A true paladin wouldn’t have been captured so easily.”

  
Lance was openly sobbing now, trying desperately to tune Keith’s voice out but to no avail.

  
“What are you waiting for? Why don’t you do us all a favor and die already? That would be better for everyone, including yourself.”

  
What was Lance waiting for? He couldn’t remember. And the darkness was so inviting. It would only take a moment to give up, close his eyes, and sleep.

\-----

“I’m in position.” Hunk’s voice said over the comm.

  
Keith, Shiro, and Pidge were aboard the green lion because of its stealth capabilities. Hunk was currently in the blue lion some distance from the prison. It had taken longer than expected to get the blue lion to bond with Hunk but eventually it let him in and they could start their plan.

  
“Okay, we’re ready on this end, too.” Shiro responded. “Go ahead and scan the base.”

  
“Roger.” Hunk said. “Scanning now.”

  
Keith held his breath as he waited. It was only a theory that the blue lion would be able to detect Lance and they didn’t have a plan B. One way or another, though, Keith was getting into that base to save Lance. Every time he thought about Lance alone and scared he felt sick. He hadn’t realized how much he had relied on the blue paladin until he suddenly wasn’t there. Keith needed Lance to make a terrible pun right about now or tell him that his hair looked stupid or something. He needed Lance to relieve the tension that had been building in Keith since he was taken.

  
Keith wanted nothing more than to apologize to Lance. To tell him how sorry he was that he let him get captured and...to tell him how much he had missed him.

  
“Please let him be alive…” Keith said to himself but he knew the others had heard him.

  
“Guys, guy! I’ve got him...uh-oh. That’s not good.” Hunk said.

  
“What? What’s not good?” Keith said not trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

  
“He’s alive but just barely. His vitals are really low. We have to get him soon or he’s going to die. I’m sending you the map of the facility.”

  
“Got it.” Pidge confirmed. “It looks like we can land here.” They pointed at a spot on the map. “and get inside through this side door. That’s the closest entrance to where he’s being held.”

  
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s head down, Pidge. Hunk, we’ll keep you updated.” Shiro said.

  
“Okay,” Hunk said. “Please bring back my best friend alive.”

  
“We’ll bring him back.” Shiro replied reassuringly.

  
Pidge landed the green lion and the three exited, careful not to be seen by any patrols. Keith pulled his bayard out and cut a sizable hole in the door for the three of them to climb through.

  
Once inside Pidge pulled the map up. “Okay,” They whispered. “Down this hall and to the left. His cell should be the seventh on the right.”

  
Shiro nodded and took off down the hall, arm at the ready. The trio slowed as they got near the corner. Shiro peered around the corner and signaled that it was clear. They rounded the corner and spotted Lance’s cell.

  
“Give me just a moment to get the door open.” Pidge said.

  
“Hang on Lance. We’re here.” Keith muttered.

  
“Does anyone else think this was too easy?” Shiro asked. “Where are all the guards?”

  
Sirens blared and in moments Galra were headed towards them.

  
“Pidge, we need that door open!” Keith yelled.

  
“I know! I know!”

  
Keith deflected a few shots with his shield, trying to keep them away from Pidge.

  
“Ah! It’s not working!” Pidge yelled in exasperation.

  
“Plan B!” Keith yelled, slashing at a Galra soldier and shoving him back. He turned towards the door, sword raised.

\-----

Lance saw light. It was the first light he’d seen in who-knows-how long. It was too bright for his eyes but he couldn’t look away.

  
“Lance? Lance are you in here?” He heard a familiar voice call.

  
“Keith?” He managed to croak out even though he couldn’t see him. “Is that you?”

  
And suddenly Keith was there, leaning over him. “I’m here, buddy. I gotcha.”

  
“You came.” Lance said, a smile touching his face.

  
“Are you kidding? Of course I did. I’d never leave you behind.” Keith replied softly. “Let’s get you outta here. Can you stand?”

  
“No.” Lance said weakly. “Just...leave me...I’ll only...be a burden.”

  
“Not a chance.” Keith replied. “Just hold on, okay?”

  
Lance didn’t get a chance to reply before his world was surrounded by darkness.

\-----

“Lance? Lance?!” Keith called, trying to get the blue paladin to open his eyes. “Shiro! We have to go now!” Keith grabbed one of Lance’s arms and slung it over his shoulder, grabbed Lance’s waist, and picked him up so he was resting over Keith’s shoulder. He worried for a moment about making his injuries worse but he couldn’t dwell on that. He had to get Lance out.

  
He ducked back through the hole in the door and into the hallway. Shiro and Pidge were back to back, fighting off the swarm of Galra.

  
“Can you clear a path?” Keith yelled at them, Lance over one shoulder and his sword in his other hand.

  
Shiro nodded and darted forward.

  
“Pidge, watch my flank!” Keith said as he started following Shiro back down the hallway.

  
“You got it!” Pidge shouted back.

  
The trio made their way back down the hall and around the corner.

  
“Hunk, we’re gonna need a pickup!” Keith said into his comm.

  
“I’m coming in hot!” Hunk replied. When they made it outside the blue lion was waiting for them, blasting at any galra that were following the group.

  
“Keith, take Lance to the blue lion. Pidge and I’ll grab the green one.” Shiro said, his voice commanding. Keith only nodded and ran towards the blue lion.

  
Once he had boarded Hunk took off from the planet and made a beeline for the castle.

  
“Is he alive?” Hunk asked, desperation in his voice.

  
“He’s breathing.” Keith said, trying to keep his voice steady. “But I’m not sure for how much longer. Hurry, Hunk. He’s fading.” Keith wasn’t sure if it was Hunk or the blue lion herself but suddenly they were traveling far faster than the lion’s usual speed. “Is that you?”

  
“No!” Hunk replied. “It’s like she knows that Lance is injured!”

  
“Thank you…” Keith said to the lion. “Thank you…” Then he turned to Lance who he had laid on the floor of the cockpit. He was paler than Keith remembered and his breathing was coming out ragged. His lips were stained red and the front of his prisoner uniform was smeared with blood. Too much blood. Too much of Lance’s blood. “Hang on just a little bit longer, Lance.”

\-----

“Keith you need to eat.” Shiro’s voice came from the doorway to the infirmary. Keith looked up from where he had been sitting next to Lance’s healing pod. It had been five days since the rescue mission and Keith hadn’t left Lance’s side once.

  
Keith shook his head. “He could wake up. I need to be here for that.”

  
Shiro sighed and walked over to Keith. “I thought you might say that so that’s why I brought the food to you.” He held up a plate of goo that Keith hadn’t noticed him holding before.

  
“Oh...thanks.” Keith said, taking the plate. Shiro sat down next to him.

  
“We got him back and Coran says he’s going to be fine. Why are you still blaming yourself?”

  
“Because none of this should’ve happened.” Keith responded. “If I’d done my job then he wouldn’t even be in there right now. He almost died, Shiro.”

  
“But he didn’t because of you. You didn’t rest until you had him back and safe in the castle. I’d say that’s no small feat.” Shiro responded calmly.

  
“He told me to leave him…” Keith said suddenly. “He said that he would only be a burden.” He hadn’t told anyone about that yet. “Why would he say that? He knows that this team isn’t a team without him.” Keith could hear his voice start to waver and he tried to choke back the tears.

  
“Does he?” Shiro asked. “Look at it from Lance’s perspective. Maybe he felt unneeded. Maybe no one’s ever told him just how important he is to this team. He always seems so confidant that I know I don’t think to mention it...just something to think about.” Shiro said and stood up. “If he wakes up make sure to let us know.”

  
“Of course.” Keith said.

  
“Good...and eat.” Shiro said, pointing to the plate of goo. “I don’t want to have to put you in one of those things as well.”

\-----

Lance knew he wasn’t dead. It smelled too chemically to be heaven. Lance slowly opened his eyes and found himself falling forward. His reaction time was too slow for him to catch himself. He was going to faceplant and there was nothing he could do about it.

  
“Whoa!” He heard before strong arms reached out and grabbed him to stop his fall. “I gotcha!”

  
Lance looked up, his eyes still riddled with sleep. “Keith? How long have I been out?”

  
“A week.” Keith replied. “How are you feeling?”

  
“...mostly hungry.” Lance replied.

  
Keith chuckled at that and helped Lance steady himself. “Well, I’ll let the others know you’re awake and then we can see about getting you some food goo.” Keith turned and Lance reached out to stop him. There was something he desperately needed to say.

  
“Keith, wait…” Keith stopped and looked at him. “I’m sorry for...well, for everything.”

  
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.” Keith responded with a confused look. “If anything, I should be the sorry one. I let those Galra take you. I put the mission above your safety and you almost died. Do you know what would happen to this team if you weren’t there? We’d fall apart, Lance. Pidge couldn’t focus and Hunk was so worried about you and I...I can’t relax without you around. So I promise you that I will never make that mistake again.”

  
Lance didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear those words and coming from Keith they meant the world to him. He felt tears start to sting his eyes and a small smile creep onto his face. He was needed. The team needed him. Lance needed to say something, anything, to Keith. He couldn’t let this moment pass him by.

  
“You’re all I thought about.” Lance blurted out. Why did he say _that_?

  
“What?” Keith said, shocked.

  
Lance quickly backtracked, feeling a blush growing on his face, “I mean I thought about everyone but you were just the last person I talked to so of course I thought about you. I mean it wasn’t like obsessive thinking or anything. Really I was just thinking about-”

 

Lance’s rambling was cut off by a pair of lips crashing into his. For a moment Lance couldn’t understand what was going on and then it clicked. Keith was kissing him.

  
_Keith was kissing him!_

  
Lance thought his heart was going to explode as he settled into the kiss. It was fierce and desperate and filled with raw emotion. It was everything Lance had ever wanted.

  
When the two parted Lance couldn’t help himself from saying, “If that’s how you’re going to react every time I almost die I should definitely do it more often.”

  
Lance heard a small laugh escape from Keith’s lips which was a sound Lance didn’t think he’d ever hear. “I’d prefer if you stayed away from almost dying.”

  
Lance just shrugged and smiled. “No promises.”

  
Keith gave another small laugh before pulling Lance’s face down to meet his.

  
Yeah, Lance could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any feedback you're willing to give is greatly appreciated. I'll see you next time. 
> 
> ~Redjay


End file.
